hoffman



Feb. 14, 1956 w. D. HOFFMAN ELECTRIC STEAM FURNACE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1955 Wilbur 0. Hoffman INVENTOR.

Attorney:

'Feb- 1956 w. D. HOFFMAN ELECTRIC STEAM FURNACE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1955 0 m a I i w. M I l A W mw mm mm Hl m n um Hm 8 vv w mm\ mm w 0 D W Y B .3 a? m wm Q mm United States Patent 2,734,989 ELECTRIC STEAM FURNACE Wilbur D. Holfman, Saudusky, Ohio, assignor of fifty per cent to William J. Roeder, Sandusky, Ohio Application August 25, 1953, Serial No. 376,399 4 Claims. (Cl. 219-39) This invention relates to heating apparatus and more particularly to an electric steam furnace.

The primary object of this invention resides in the provision of an electric steam furnace which can be utilized in conjunction with and as an auxiliary of a conventional hot air heating system whereby duct work presently existing may be utilized to convey hot air heating to a portion of a building remote from the electric steam furnace.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a comparatively simple arrangement of parts whereby no external fuel source is needed thus decreasing the possibility of explosions and obnoxious fumes inherent in the use of steam furnaces employing combustible fuels.

One of the features of the invention resides in the provision of a steam chamber spaced above a suitable housing and interconnected by a plurality of steam pipes or conduits. A blower is provided for moving heated air from the plurality of conduits so as to direct such air through suitable ducts to the portion of a building which it is desired to be heated.

Utilized in this invention is a nozzle supplied by a suitable pump with fluid which is positioned over a flash plate for providing steam for heating the conduits. The steam rises through the conduits to a steam chamber from whence it may drain back into the housing and thence to a fluid tank.

Still further objects and features of the invention reside in the provision of an electric steam heater that is strong and durable, comparatively simple in construction and manufacture, capable of being constructed out of various readily available materials, which is highly efficient in operation, and inexpensive to utilize.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this electric steam furnace, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the electric steam furnace comprising the present invention with parts thereof being broken away to show all of the parts in greater detail;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the component elements of the invention; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating the construction of the valve for providing an automatic intake of fluid to the fluid tank.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral generally designates the electric steam furnace comprising the present invention which is encased in a suitable casing 12 on which there is mounted a blower 14 and a motor 16. Connected to the steam furnace 10 is a suitable intake fluid conduit 18 adapted to be connected to an external source of fluid or water supply. Duct work 20 is connected to the casing 12 at the upper portion thereof. Received within the casing 12 is a housing 22 which has positioned in alignment therewith and suitably spaced thereabove a chamber 24. The chamber 24 has a downwardly sloping bottom 26. A plurality of steam conduits 28 preferably tubular in shape intercommunicate between the housing 22 and the chamber 24 and hold the chamber 24 and housing 22 in spaced relationship. A downwardly extending conduit 30 is provided for draining the chamber 24 of condensate and opens into the housing 22. At the rear of the housing 22 there is an access port 32.

The motor 16 drives a drive shaft 34 on which there is mounted an eccentric 36. A tank 38 is positioned within the casing 12 and is adapted to receive and contain fluid from the intake conduit 18. Flow of fluid from the intake conduit 18 is controlled by a valve member 40 carried by a rod 42 attached to a float 44. The valve member 40 works in a valve block 46 positioned within the tank 38. The block 46 has a substantially L-shaped passageway 48 therethrough interconnecting the inlet tube 18 with the outlet 50. The valve member 40 is adapted to close the passageway 48 when the float is in a raised position caused by a sufficient quantity of water being retained in the tank 38. A guide 52 is mounted on the tank 38 for controlling movement of the rod 42. Adjacent the base of the tank 38 there is positioned a cylinder 54 having a piston 56 therein and having a suitable water intake aperture and an out-take valve 58 controlled by a spring pressed check valve member whereby fluid can be pumped from the tank 33 through an inlet conduit 60 into the housing 22. A piston 56 is provided with a piston rod 62 actuated by a crank arm 64 which in turn is actuated by a spring pressed rocker arm 66 which engages the eccentric or cam 36. Water exhausted by the pump and expelled through the inlet conduit 60 is metered to a jet nozzle 66 positioned over a flash plate 68 heated by an electric heating unit 76 connected by suitable conductors 72 to a source of electrical power. A shield is positioned over the plate 68 as indicated at 74 for preventing flow of condensate from the condensate tube 30 from impinging upon the flash plate 68. The bottom 76 of the housing 22 being positioned above the present level of the water in the tank 38, the condensate within the housing 22 can drain through the conduit 78 back into the tank 38.

Operation of the device is controlled by a two-stage conventional thermostat. After a minimum room temperature has been preset on the thermostat, the heating unit will be actuated as soon as the temperature in the room falls to within a predetermined number of degrees above the minimum temperature set. Then, as soon as the temperature further falls to the minimum temperature, the motor 16 will be actuated, it being electrically operatively connected through the thermostat to a source of electrical power. This will cause the pump to lead the fluid to the jet nozzle 66 from whence it is atomized onto the flash plate 68. This will cause steam to rush upwardly through the pipes 3th and into the chamber 24. Here the steam may then condense and the condensate will pass through the pipe 30 back into the housing 22 and then back through the conduit 78 into the tank 38. The Water in the tank 38 can be replaced through the intake conduit 18. The blower 14 will cause the air passing between the spaces in between the steam pipes 28 to become heated and will cause the heated air to flow out of the duct work 20.

Since from the foregoing the construction and advantages of this electric steam furnace are readily apparent, further description is believed to be unnecessary.

However, since numerous modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, after consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawing, it is not intended to limit the invention to the precise embodiment shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be readily resorted to.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An electric steam furnace comprising an upper chamber positioned in alignment with a lower housing, a plurality of conduits communicating with said chamber and said housing and holding said chamber and said housing in spaced relationship, an electrical heating unit operatively positioned in said housing and below said conduits, means for selectively supplying electrical current to said heating unit, a jet nozzle positioned in said housing in alignment with said heating unit, a feed tank, an outlet drain connecting said housing with said tank, a condensate drain connecting said chamber with said housing, a fluid pump in said tank, and an inlet conduit connectsaid pump with said nozzle.

2. An electric steam furnace comprising an upper chamber positioned in alignment with a lower housing, a plurality of conduits communicating with said chamber and said housing and holding said chamber and said housing in spaced relationship, an electrical heating unit operatively positioned in said housing and below said conduits, means for selectively supplying electrical current to said heating unit, a jet nozzle positioned in said housing in alignment with said heating unit, a feed tank, an outlet drain connecting said housing and said tank, a condensate drain connecting said chamber with said housing, a fluid pump in said tank, and an inlet conduit connecting said pump with said nozzle, a drive motor, said pump comprising a cylinder having a piston working therein, an eccentric driven by said drive motor, and a linkage connecting said piston with said eccentric to operate said piston.

3. An electric steam furnace comprising an upper chamber positioned in alignment with a lower housing,

a plurality of conduits communicating with said chamber and said housing and holding said chamber and said housing in spaced relationship, an electrical heating unit operatively positioned entirely in said housing and below said conduits, means for selectively supplying electrical current to said heating unit, and means for metering fluid onto said heating unit in said housing, and a blower for removing heated air from between said plurality of conduits.

4. An electric steam furnace comprising an upper chamber positioned in alignment with a lower housing, a plurality of conduits communicating with said chamber and said housing and holding said chamber and said housing in spaced relationship, an electrical heating unit operatively positioned in said housing and below said conduits, means for selectively supplying electrical current to said heating unit, and means for metering fluid onto said heating unit in said housing, a condensate drain connecting said chamber and said housing, a jet nozzle positioned in said housing over said heating unit, means for supplying fluid to said nozzle connected thereto, said chamber having a downwardly angulated bottom, said condensate drain being attached to said chamber at the lowest part of said bottom, and a guard secured in overlying relationship to said heating unit between said drain and said heating unit.

References Cited in the file of this tent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,580,293 Fitzer Apr. 13, 1926 1,677,553 Dissett July 17, 1928 2,170,551 Cummings, Jr Aug. 22, 1939 2,434,575 Marshall Jan. 13, 1948 2,491,849 Broome Dec. 20, 1949 mar -1 y, 

